Gaza City (Web Desk/Agencies): An Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis has killed nine children from a single family, according to Gaza’s civil defense agency.
The strike, which occurred on Friday, targeted the home of Dr. Hamdi al-Najjar and his wife, Dr. Alaa al-Najjar, both of whom are medical professionals.
Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal confirmed that emergency crews retrieved the bodies of nine children from the rubble—children of the two doctors. Several of the victims were reportedly charred. The father and one surviving son sustained severe injuries.
Dr. Alaa al-Najjar, a pediatrician at Al-Tahrir Hospital, part of the Nasser Medical Complex, had been on duty treating victims of ongoing Israeli attacks when the bodies of her children arrived at the facility. The eldest of the nine was only 12 years old.
Nasser Hospital verified that one child and the father survived the airstrike and were being treated. British surgeon Graeme Groom, volunteering at the hospital, stated that he operated on the injured 11-year-old boy.
Hospital officials indicated that the bombing happened just after Dr. Hamdi al-Najjar returned from driving his wife to work. A missile reportedly struck the house within minutes of his return.
The children's funeral was held at the hospital, where grieving family and friends gathered around the shrouded bodies. Video footage from AFP showed mourners weeping as they paid their last respects.
Muneer Alboursh, director general of Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, echoed the account, noting the exact timing of the strike. He described the situation as unbearable for Gaza’s medical community.
“This is the reality our medical staff endure,” he said. “Words fall short in describing the pain.”
The family’s grief was expressed publicly by Youssef al-Najjar, a relative, who issued an emotional plea to international and regional actors. “Enough! Have mercy on us,” he cried. “We are exhausted from displacement and hunger.”
The incident came amid a surge in Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip. Earlier the same day, civil defense officials reported at least 15 people killed in separate strikes.
A couple and their two young children were killed in the Amal neighborhood of Khan Younis when their home was hit before dawn. In another part of the city, five people lost their lives when a drone strike targeted a group waiting for aid deliveries.
Images showed Dr. Alaa visiting her critically injured husband in the intensive care unit, overwhelmed by grief. Witnesses described scenes of destruction and despair. Wissam Al-Madhoun, another relative, said the family was wiped out in an instant.
“Suddenly, a missile from an F-16 destroyed the entire house,” he recounted. “They were all civilians—my sister, her husband, and their children. We found them lying in the street. What did this child do to Netanyahu?”
In response, the Israeli military issued a general statement, saying over 100 targets across Gaza had been struck in the past 24 hours, including military operatives, tunnels, and infrastructure associated with armed groups. It declined to comment on the specific strike without receiving geographic coordinates.
Israel resumed its military operations in Gaza on March 18, ending a ceasefire that had lasted two months. Since then, the Gaza health ministry reports that 3,747 people have been killed, raising the total death toll to 53,901, with most of the casualties being civilians.
The conflict began in October 2023 when Hamas-led attack on Israel, killing 1,218 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel says 57 hostages remain in Gaza, 34 of whom are presumed dead.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres described the current phase of the war as the “cruellest” for Gaza’s population. Severe shortages of food and medicine have resulted from Israel’s blockade. Although limited aid deliveries resumed recently for the first time since early March, humanitarian agencies warn that the need far exceeds the supply.
The World Food Programme (WFP) reported that 15 of its trucks were looted Thursday night, urging Israel to permit significantly more aid to enter the territory. The agency pointed to growing desperation among the population as a key factor behind rising insecurity.
On top of the humanitarian disaster, Gaza faces a worsening water crisis. On Saturday, the Gaza City municipality warned that damage from ongoing strikes had crippled most of the water infrastructure, leaving large sections of the population at risk. With summer temperatures rising, demand for clean water is expected to surge, worsening already dire conditions.